This would be a delightful destination campground even if the all-American village of Cooperstown wasn't located eight miles down the edge of scenic Otsego Lake.
We pulled into Glimmerglass State Park on a hot, sunny May afternoon -- and spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing in a nearly-deserted state park.
Mountains frame Lake Otsego in this view from Hyde Hall in Glimmerglass State Park.
It's quite a park. For starters, you'll find about a mile of shorefront on Otsego Lake. Surrounded by hills, this is the lake of Glimmerglass fame in James Fenimore Cooper's Leatherstocking Tales.
Included in this shorefront is a large, sandy beach.
Off to the side, just past the beach, is Hyde Hall, an historic landmark worthy of a visit to anyone with a passing interest in historic houses.
Other attractions here range from miles of hiking trails to the nation's oldest existing covered bridge.
As for the campground, you'll find a mere 37 sites in a pair of loops. Sites are level, wonderfully wooded, and delightfully private. Ours backed up to a mountain stream whose banks teamed with birds ranging from woodpeckers to noisy kingfishers.
The campsites are located about a five-minute walk from the beach area, and while you can hear the lake from the campground, you can't see it.
In short, there's plenty to do at this park for several days without venturing offsite -- which would be a mistake, given Cooperstown's many attractions.
Campgrounds Guide 
